The Portland daily press., 1887-10-08
TIMBER SHIPS OR RATS.
The Construction and Navigation OF
Noted Vessels OF This Class.
Or. Tupper's Ship Built on the Kenne-
bee and others Built at Quebec.
Forerunners Of, the Great Timber
Raft Of the BIue-Noses.
Hon. William Goold.1

ltS JOgglnS. After all the expense aud labor
expended in the fruitless attempts TO launch
the last seasons joggins timber raft, 1t has
been taken apart by its owner who is build
ing one 100 feet longer than the lrst. When
Robinson Crusoe found that he could not
launch the periaugua which he built In the
South Pacific, 200 years ago, like a sensible
man he built smaller one, and dug canal
to float 1t to navigable water; but the Nova
Scotia man builds larger one, which see
by the PRESS he is preparing to launch in
November. Several weeks were occupied in
the launching Of the Great Eastern In 1859
but all the fools have not originated in the,
British possessions. l copy from Boston
paper Of August, 1892, this paragraph
ION Thursday the large raft timber-shlp built
as Kennebee sailed from Boston for Liverpool.
England. she Is built entirely OF square tfiber
VA without any ron except her chains and the Piy..
near q thousand tons OF timber, SC "
A manuscript in the Pejepscot collection
in the library Of the Maine Historical Soci-
ETY. by Jonathan Hyde, who settled In Bath
In 1882 gives this account Of the ship:
''At Swan Island raft ship was built by Dr.
Tupper. IL was made BY trenalling square timber
together m the form Of ships bun, and ship
Englan1, there to take her to pieces and sell the
timber She laid In Bath some time, Il being dim
cult 10 get men 20 90 in her. A small vessel was
put on her deck and she finally went 10 sea. Ow-
Ing to bad weather the men were frightened and
aDoned her near Nova scotia and took 70 the
she might have been got TO her port Of destina-
tiOn."
DIR. Tupper went from Martha's Vineyard
before the Revolution and settled at the up
per part Of Swan Island, on the Kennebec
river. He was quite an eccentric character.
Being in the midst Of lumber country he
conceived the idea Of constructing a raft
Of timber sufficiently strong and shiplike to
be navigated across the Atlantic and then
taken TO pieces. By the laws Of England at
that time. no manufactured lumber could be
admitted to the ports Of Great Britain, for
the reason that it took employment from the
sawyers, who were numerous. There we're
no sawmills; hence all the timber To be
shipped was simply squared with the axe to
make it stow well in the ship. 1t was meas
ured by the ton and called ton timber.
Having obtained the aid Of some persons
Of wealth in Boston, Dr. Upper commenced
his raft In front Of his house. the timber be-
Ing foated there from up river.
We have seen that when ready the ship
was taken TO Bath. Although Hyde does
not mention it she went toBoston whence In
suranee was obtained. and from where she
took her departure for Liverpool DIR. Tup-
per intended TO 60 in the ship TO Liverpool,
but his partners dIssuaded him. A newspa-
per Of August 9th. 1872 has the following:
"The captain OF a fisherman who arrived at BOs-
tOnMonday Informs usthat be spoke ON the Banks
o. Nswioundland and the timber ship from that port
that the ship had beaten all she had sailed with,
and worked we'll, and that he and his crew
thought they could not be In a safer vessel"
Notwithstanding all this expressed conf
dence the ship was abandoned OF the coast
Of Labrador. She was afterwards boarded
by the people Of passing vessel and found
to bel in good order with plentiful supply Of
provisions. This led 10 the suspicion that
her desertion by her officers and crew was
fraudulent and without sufficient cause.
Two other similar attempts were made from
| the Kennebee-both vessels went safely
over, but foundered on the English coast,
with the same suspicious Of fraud as in the
case Of the Tupper ship.
On reading Of the failure Of the attempt TO
launch the Nova Scotia timber raft last De-
cember, 1t came to my mind that failure to
launch a similar vessel happened ON the st.
i AtdWANnNt WhcH was ~ DOJs lNtu WlUlb
to a friend, a merchant at Quebec, asking
him to look up the facts about II. In reply
he sends me the following:
with regard to the ship sarna q Re Renirew Wv You
| ask about. Below give you an extract from
newspaper In a bound volume which the manager
hunted up for me. Extract from the Quebec
Gazette OF 27th of June 1895: "The large tim
Der ship the Baron OF Renfrew was safely launch
ed on Saturday last, the 25th inst. at one o'clock
In the afternoon. She had In the attempt the
Saturday previous, stopped on her ways, owing 20
the grease being consumed by the IRE. She went
majestieaily into the water and afterwards
drove up with the flowing title near to the town.
down, the channel OF the 81. Lawrence, north Of
the Island q Orleans, where she was anchored.
| water than the Columbus did. her breadth being
ten feet greater II is understood that she will
not sail until the end Of July. The measurement
/ OF the Baron OF kenfrew are length 3 feet,
breadth 60 feet, depth 38 feet internally 81 feet
| externalyi tonnage 1888 tous, draft when
/ inches In diameter. Hemp cable 27 Inches I2s
| fathom. Chain cable lz0 tathom. links IA inches
| long and inches wide, made Of inch iron.
/ Cargo on board when launched 1000 ton Of tim
| Der; capacity, 5000 tons"
The Renfrew had four masts. tared
hemp cable nine inches through must have
been unwieldly ground-tacklc to take TO a
MINDLESS or capstan to get up an anchor Of
| so cwt although there were 70 men to do IT,
| In cold weather, 1t would be about as rigid
and unyielding as an oak sapling Of the
same size. The captain Of the Renfrew was
a Scotehman, half-pay lieutenant in the
British navy. A writer in Providence, r. l.,
paper who had seen the ship before she was
launched said; 'She is perfectly fiat bot
toned with keel Of about twelve inches;
wall sided, sharp forward and rather lean
aft. She looks more like a block Of build
ings than a ship"
/ From the Quebec Gazette Of August 25th,
1925, is the following, lheaded, 'Thc Sailing OF
the Great Ship;"
The Baron Of Renfrew weighed anchor and
/ was towe d from the place which she occupied near
the Falls OF Montmorenei ON Tuesday last at noon
i by the steamboat Hercules The tide was about
half flood when she got under way. and she pro-
eeeded slowly round be west point OF the island
| OF Orleans, and disappeared behind Point Levi at
/ quarter before two O'clock. She accOmpa-
i MED beyond the Point By the Malsnam Steamboat
/ and the Lauz0n steam Jerry boat with partIes oi
/ Ia ties and gentlemen from town. The Malsham
had on board the band Of the 6Sth regiment,
| which, as well as the parties. went on board the
Baron, the decks Of which we're crowded with
people. The steamboats, having again taken
point proceeding in tow Of me HercuIes which
will only leave her at Bic. The eight was grand as
she came abreast Of the point Of the island, with
her sails on her four masts clOse-hauled, and the
| Hercules ahead In the foreground there were
| about forty or hftv Indian wigwams, and nunIer-
Gus Indian canoes one Of which, after landing
three passengers. aa Indian was carrying on his
| head up 20 high water mark; thus Offering In one
| view the largest ship In the world. the perfection
OF the application OF steam o. NAVIGATION. and the
| first, and certainly most ingenious effort OF man
In the savage state for water conveyance"
Extract of Quebec paper Of Oct. 25, 1925 I:
"The Baron Renfrew, from Quebec passed the
| draws 80 feet Of water"
"Oct. "a. the Baron Renfrew drove on shore on
the coast OF France, near Calais, where she has
| gone TO pieces"
My friend writes that the Columbus. which
sailed In 1924. went safe. These ships were